Wrong of Right

Dad's Call From Home

Ah. The smell of fresh donuts and coffee in the morning. The feeling of fresh air, new faces, a new place. My eyes graze across the intersections, lights, and large crowds. I take a deep breath. Philadelphia. Pulling my worn Broncos hat up, I watch the traffic cautiously, as Philly is overwhelmingly populated.

I pull my phone out from my back pocket, *ring ring* "Ah. Hey dad. I've arrived in Philly. Send me the address?"

"Awesome. Yes, I'll get on that.. as soon as I finish something first." he replies, I can tell he's stressed.

"Dad. It's good now. I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up the phone and wait patiently for the address.

I cross the street, my hands slowly clamping and starting to drench with sweat. As I approach the big tall group of buildings my dad has sent me to, this is the moment I've been dreading. I push open the large looming glass door, and sigh as I see my dad rushing out of an elevator.

"Hey sport! You made it. Robert, you know my son, Joshua," they both greet me, "he came all the way from Denver." My dad smiled. That's a smile I haven't seen in a long time. "Alright Robert, I'm off the clock now. My son and I have plans." He shook Robert's hand and I said my goodbyes. Off we were to do whatever the hell my dad wanted me to fly out here for. I mean, it was nice to leave Denver. A new place, nobody knows who I am. Nobody knows my past except for my father, who has done just as bad as I've done.

We reach the car, and just as we're about to get in someone stops my dad.

"Hey! Charlie, what's up man?" I've never seen this guy before. Hood up, tattered jeans, and exhausted out of date sneakers. Who is he? I see my dad glimpse at me, he's obviously uncomfortable. He whispers something to him, but I can't make it out. I get in the car and try to ignore his attempt at trying to keep whatever just happened on the low. The door slams and my dad starts the car.

"So, dad. Why am I here? What was so urgent? I know it's not just for a quick catch up. You got me an apartment, and you wanna give me a job! God, I can't believe this." I crossed my arms and avoided eye contact. I can't just sit here and act like he was the best dad while I was growing up. He's done things I'll never forgive him for.

He sighed and started the car. "This IS important." He's was frantically looking around at the environment around us. "We can't talk about it here though. There's people listening."

I rolled my eyes. This sounds like another one of his breakdowns. The sidewalks were moving by fast, as I stared out the window, faces flashed by. I had turned up the radio and sat still, just wanting this car ride to be over. We pulled up to the golden gate of my dad's driveway entrance, I noticed somebody coming out the front door. I waited desperately for the slow, squeaky gate to open, I couldn't wait to get inside. I need to know why I'm here.

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I sat down across from Charlie at his office desk, the fireplace glowing next to us, he pulls out a bottle of scotch from a drawer.

"Ah. Classic. Bottle of scotch." I scoff, I'm disappointed in him. Sober for 3 years, and now it's back to this. This must be something serious. I finally relaxed my body, and looked at him with a concerning face.

"You see son. I have a problem. I need your help. I guess you could say, I need a favor." He pours each of us a glass and slides mine over.

"What is this favor your asking of me?" I picked up my glass and took a drink. Not usually my cup of tea, but it's not like I can't handle my scotch at all.

"You remember what we did that time awhile back," he leaned back in his chair and took another drink, "well, somebody knows, and I'm not trying to wait for them to come to us first."

Body numb. My head was going a million miles a minute. I pushed myself away from his desk and stood up. "WE COVERED EVERYTHING," I screamed at him, "YOU SAID THERE WERE NO WITNESSES!" I slammed my fist onto his desk, and caused a gaping hole in the middle.

"Son, you need to calm down. We will figure this out." He glares at me, and pushes my hand off his desk. "I'm not sure how, but I'll try to use the resources I have. In the meantime, I have a little job for you to do." He lifts up the table mat he has under his keyboard, and pulls out an envelope. "This has all the information you need," tossing it on the desk in front of me. An old, tattered envelope, thick enough to be years work of research. How nobody had noticed it was on his desk was beyond me, but what I was about to learn is unforgivable.
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I gasped, my body jerking awake, the cold air rushed over me, sending goosebumps across my skin. Tossing my blanket over, I drag myself to the kitchen, where I spotted the envelope sitting on the counter. The darkness illuminating around it, made it seem like it was begging for me to begin. What I saw in that envelope, was brutal and dark, but nothing I haven't recognized before. The words are flying through my head, I can remember every little detail. Something I will never forget.

It's not the first time since my father has pushed something like this onto me. I was young before, and of course I got the all-american dad right? He was the classic deadbeat dad you would only ever see drink something that had to be at least 80 proof. The one who drank until he blacked out, only to wake up and not remember the night before. He's changed over the years, but he's still a man you would never want to be around when things start to get rough.

*Flashback*
*echoing laughter*

"Mom, did you see that!? That was like a million yards!!" 9 year old Joshua was playing catch with a young, brown haired Charlie, with an observer, a beautiful blonde woman sitting on a blue, rickety, old porch swing.

"Yes honey, that was awesome! Soon you'll be playing for the NFL!" She replied, with a soft chuckle. She had went back to reading her book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. ~Ah. One of my mom's favorites.~

"Alright sport, I think it's time we have a break now and go get lunch. Did you wanna go somewhere or just have a sandwich?" Charlie asks, and picks Joshua up and places him on his shoulders.

*crashing noises*
"Mom? Dad?" Josh slowly creeps out from his bedroom, and focuses on his parents shadows on the walls. They hadn't heard him, as they continued shouting negligent things at each other. Another one of dad's binge nights. Mom was screaming at him to leave, but he never listens. Josh watches the shadows, as his mom cowers over, after she had just been struck by the hand of Charlie.

Josh's face had started heating up, and he ran back into the safety of his bedroom, where he hugged his pillow and cried silently.. waiting for the man to be gone.

*end of flashback*

I shake my head and splash cold water on my face. Why was I even thinking about that? I take another glance at the envelope. The intimidating "CONFIDENTIAL" stamped on the front gave me a reason to want to push this away. I wanted to give it back to my father to take care of, but I know he's not capable of what I am capable of.
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